They also see indications from their analysis that exposure to traffic noise influences not just the genesis, but the course of a heart attack.

The findings appeared in the journal Deutsches Arzteblatt International.

Although strictly speaking these results show only an association between traffic noise and heart attack, the authors believe that the sheer numbers of people affected by noise pollution mean that it is now right to start intensive efforts towards effective prevention of traffic noise.

This study is part of the Europe-wide NORAH (Noise-Related Annoyance, Cognition, and Health) study investigating the health consequences of traffic noise.